{"id":442,"date":"2022-04-01T09:40:50","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T09:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cube-ld.co.uk\/blog\/?p=442"},"modified":"2022-03-08T10:52:47","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T10:52:47","slug":"strategic-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cube-ld.co.uk\/blog\/strategic-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategic Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to become a strategic leader<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you progress in your career you often need to move from being an operational leader to a strategic leader.<\/p>\n

But the word \u2018strategy\u2019 can instil a feeling of fear into many managers. It may be because it sounds grander than it actually is, so we thought we\u2019d ask Brenda Etchells, our associate and specialist in strategic planning, to help us de-mystify strategy.<\/p>\n

So what is strategy? <\/strong><\/p>\n

In essence, a strategy is having a plan of how<\/strong> you will achieve your goals, objectives, and vision.<\/p>\n

The strategy is one element of a bigger framework and aligns to an overall purpose and vision.<\/p>\n

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Everything starts with your why or purpose<\/strong>, and this should be a constant in your strategy \u2013 it\u2019s the reason your business exists.<\/p>\n

Your purpose may be general in nature or may have strong social elements. Here\u2019s a useful definition of purpose that covers both aspects:<\/p>\n

\u201cAn aspirational reason for being which inspires and provides a call to action for an organisation and its partners and stakeholders and provides benefit to local and global society\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

(https:\/\/hbr.org\/resources\/pdfs\/comm\/ey\/19392HBRReportEY.pdf)<\/p>\n

Your vision<\/strong> is your long-term aim\/objective \u2013 What does your business look like in, say, five years\u2019 time?<\/p>\n

The strategy<\/strong> is the medium-term plan on how<\/strong> you are going to achieve your vision, which in turn informs your areas of priority and focus, and drives the action plan.<\/p>\n

So, strategy is simply having a plan?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, and no! It is about having a plan but also having a process in place to ensure that the strategy evolves to meet the changing needs of your organisation, your customers, and to react to changes in the market. We advise companies to work to an iterative four-stage process:<\/p>\n

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For a strategy to be implemented successfully the whole organisation needs to be working together, in the same direction, to meet the same success criteria.\u00a0 So leaders and employees from across the business should be involved at all stages.<\/p>\n

What does a strategic leader do at each stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The main difference between a strategic and an operational leader is thinking wider than just your function.\u00a0 This is no longer about operating in a siloed way but working at a higher level, as well as cross-functionally, and viewing the business through a wider lens.<\/p>\n

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  1. Formulation<\/strong> is where the strategy is developed through gathering research and insight. A strategic leader will:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n